Plant cultivation apparatus and water supply control method therefor

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a plant cultivation apparatus and a method for controlling water supply in the plant cultivation apparatus. The plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure may supply feed water to a bed according to whether or not the feed water supplied to the bed to cultivate plants remains to prevent the feed water from being supplied more than necessary.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a plant cultivationapparatus capable of automatically performing air circulation, lightsupply, and water supply for plant cultivation and a water supplycontrol method therefor.

BACKGROUND ART

Generally, a plant cultivation apparatus is a device cultivating plantsin a seed state.

Recently, the plant cultivation apparatus has been provided in variousforms that may easily cultivate plants indoors.

The indoor plant cultivation apparatus may be classified into ahydroponic cultivation apparatus and a soil cultivation apparatus.

The hydroponic cultivation apparatus is a device that cultivates a plantby a method in which roots of a plant are immersed in water mixed with anutrient solution, as proposed in Korean Patent Application PublicationNo. 10-2012-0007420 (document 1), Korean Patent Application PublicationNo. 10-2012-0028040 (document 2), Korean Patent No. 10-1240375 (document3), and Korean Patent No. 10-1422636 (document 4).

However, in the case of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus such asdocuments 1 to 4, when feed water in which the roots of the plant areimmersed is used without continuous circulation or replacement,contamination of the feed water, such as green algae, may occur. Thecontamination of the feed water may cause odor.

Further, the soil cultivation apparatus is a device using a cultivationmethod of planting a plant (or seeds) in soil of a pot and continuouslysupplying water to the pot, as proposed in Korean Patent No. 10-1400375(document 5), Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0467246 (document6), and Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0465385 (document 7).

In this case, compared to the hydroponic cultivation apparatus usingnutrient solution, the soil cultivation apparatus may further improvegrowth of a plant due to nutrients in the soil and increase the growthrate of the plant.

However, in the case of above-described documents 5 and 7, the soilcultivation apparatus may be operated such that, feed water sufficientlystored in a water storage is supplied to the soil in culture ground byusing an absorbing member, without periodically supplying water to thesoil. In the case of document 6, since the soil cultivation apparatus isprovided such that a plug tray is supplied in a state of being immersedin nutrient solution of a supply bed, the soil in the culture ground (orplug tray) may be discharged outward of the plant cultivation apparatusso that sufficient soil may not be provided.

In addition, in the case of documents 5 to 7, considering that nutrientsolution is supplied into the feed water stored in the water storage,contamination of the feed water due to deterioration of the nutrientsolution may occur.

Further, in documents 5 to 7, a circulation structure of pumping thefeed water stored in the water storage of a growth chamber and supplyingthe feed water to each water storage is proposed. Therefore, when thefeed water stored in the water storage of the growth chamber iscontaminated, feed water stored in other water storages may be easilycontaminated.

Further, in documents 5 to 7, due to a water supply hose connected tothe water storage (or nutrient solution container), the water storagemay not be taken out of a cabinet. When the washing of the water storageis not continuously performed, contamination of the feed water may occurseverely.

On the other hand, the above-described hydroponic cultivation apparatusor soil cultivation apparatus is not suitable for installation in abuilt-in manner when considering continuous cleaning of the waterstorage or water replenishment, and thus has a disadvantage of having alimitation on the installation space.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem

An objective of the present disclosure is to provide a new type plantcultivation apparatus in which maintenance such as replenishment of feedwater or cleaning of a water tank is easily made even when beinginstalled in a specific space, such as in a built-in method and a watersupply control method therefor.

Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a new typeplant cultivation apparatus and a water supply control method therefor,which allow only a proper amount of water to be supplied to plants.

Still another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a newtype plant cultivation apparatus which is configured as anon-circulating structure in which the supplied water may be normallystored in a separate water tank, which is blocked from the outsideenvironment, and the supplied water being supplied to the plants whennecessary, so that contamination of the feed water may be prevented, anda water supply control method therefor.

Still another objective of the present disclosure is to a new type plantcultivation apparatus in which allows a water tank to be easily takenout or positioned in place to making it easy to replenish feed water orclean the water tank and a water supply control method therefor.

Still another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a plantcultivation apparatus and a water supply control method therefor, whichassist the rapid growth of plants by efficiently performing water supplyaccording to the growth cycles of the plants.

Still another objective of the present disclosure is to a new type plantcultivation apparatus and a water supply control method, which minimizethe amount of residual water by detecting the amount of residual waterof water supplied to plants and controlling the water supply.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to theaforementioned problems, and any other technical problems not mentionedherein will be clearly understood from the following description bythose skilled in the art.

Solution to Problem

A plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure supplies feedwater required for plant cultivation to a bed, and detects whetherresidual water remaining in the bed is present to determine whether tosupply the water to the bed so that no more water remains in the bed.

Thus, the plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure is tosupply only a required amount of feed water by not supplying the feedwater to a bed when residual water of the feed water is detected in thebed and supplying the feed water to the bed when residual water is notdetected.

In the plant cultivation apparatus, a depression may be formed to berecessed from an inner bottom of the bed at a central portion to receiveand store the feed water by the water supply module, and a sensingprotrusion may be formed to protrude from a bottom surface of thedepression, the sensing protrusion having a upper surface positionedhigher than the bottom surface of the depression and lower than a bottomsurface of the bed.

In this way, the amount of feed water required for plants may be allowedto remain in the depression, and the presence or absence of residualwater remaining on the upper surface of the sensing protrusion may bedetected to determine whether to supply the feed water.

In particular, the residual water detection sensor may transmit aresidual water detection signal corresponding detection of residualwater when the residual water is present on the upper surface of thesensing protrusion and transmit a residual water detection signalcorresponding non-detection of residual water when the residual water isnot present on the upper surface of the sensing protrusion.

The controller may control the water supply module such that feed wateris supplied to the depression when the residual water detection signalcorresponding non-detection of residual water is received from theresidual water detection sensor.

In the plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure, the watersupply module may include a water tank for storing feed water and awater pump for pumping the feed water in the water tank, and in thiscase, the controller may supply the feed water to the bed by controllingthe water pump according to whether the residual water is present, whichis detected by the residual water detection sensor.

The plant cultivation apparatus of the present invention may furtherinclude a water level detection sensor that detects a water level of thefeed water stored in the water tank, and in this case, the controllermay control the water pump such that the feed water is supplied to thebed according to whether the residual water is present, which isdetected by the residual water detection sensor when the water level ofthe feed water detected by the water level detection sensor is higherthan or equal to a set threshold water level.

The plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure may further amounting detection part configured to whether the water tank is mountedand the controller may include a display configured to display whetherthe water tank is mounted, which is detected by the mounting detectionpart and the water level of the feed water, which is detected by thewater level detection sensor.

In a plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure, a residualwater detection sensor may detect whether residual water of feed watersupplied to a bed is present and supply feed water to a bed in which theresidual water is not detected. When water supply is performed for afirst set time, the water supply may be terminated and the number oftimes of water supply may be counted. In this case, it is possible todetermine whether detection of the residual water is continuouslymaintained for a second set time due to the water supply by the residualwater detection sensor and, according to a result of the determination,determine whether the bed has been completely supplied with water.

The plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure may completethe water supply to the bed when detection of the residual water iscontinuously maintained for the second set time as a result of thedetermination, and determines whether the counted number of times ofwater supply has reached the reference number of times and, according toa result of the determination, determine whether water supply to the bedis completed, when detection of the residual water is not continuouslymaintained for the second set time as the result of the determination.

In this case, when the counted number of times of water supply hasreached the reference number of times, it may be performed to completethe water supply to the bed and repeatedly perform the water supply andtermination of the water supply until the number of times of watersupply has reached the reference number of times or the detection of theresidual water is maintained for the second set time when the countednumber of times of water supply has not reached the reference number oftimes.

In the plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure, the watersupply module may be provided in a cultivation room provided as anindependent space from a machine chamber, thus allowing a user to easilyperform maintenance of the water supply module.

In the plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure, the watersupply module may be provided between the bottom of the cultivation roomand the bed in the cultivation room, thereby allowing the cultivationspace in the cultivation room to be secured as much as possible.

In the plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure, the watersupply module may configured to include a water tank in which the feedwater is stored and a water pump for pumping the feed water in the watertank, thus allowing the water supply is pumped from the water tank asmuch as the required amount of the feed water.

The plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure may beprovided with a mounting detection part to recognize exactly whether thewater tank is correctly mounted in place.

The plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure may beprovided with a water level detection sensor to detect a water level ofthe water tank, thus accurately recognizing whether the feed water ispresent in the water tank.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure and the watersupply control method thereof as described above have various effects asfollows.

First, the present disclosure has the effect that maintenance such astaking out the water tank or replenishing water according to the user'sneeds may be easily performed because the water tank constituting thewater supply module is provided in the cultivation room.

Second, the present disclosure has the effect that the maintenance ofthe water tank can be easily performed even when the water tankinstalled in a specific narrow space, such as a built-in method, becausethe water tank constituting the water supply module is configured as aforward drawable manner.

Third, according to the present disclosure, since the water supplymodule is operated to supply feed water in cooperation with eachresidual water detection sensor, only a suitable amount of moisture maybe supplied to plants always, thereby preventing the occurrence ofresidual water.

Fourth, the present disclosure has the effect that the plant cultivationapparatus is configured as the non-circulating structure in which thefeed water is normally stored in the separate water tank, which isblocked from the outside environment, and is supplied to the bed onlywhen necessary, thus preventing contamination of the feed water in thewater tank.

Fifth, the present disclosure has the effect that the user's useconvenience is improved because the water tank in which feed water isstored is configured to be easily taken out.

Sixth, the present disclosure has the effect that the water tank andwater pump are always be positioned at correct locations by theinstallation frame.

Seventh, the present disclosure has the effect that the water supplymodule is provided between the bottom of the cultivation room and thebed in the cultivation room to secure the cultivation space for thecultivation room as much as possible.

Eighth, the present disclosure has the effect that it is possible toprevent contamination of the feed water in the water tank because theopen upper surface of the water tank is configured to be opened andclosed with an opening/closing cover.

Ninth, the present disclosure has the effect that the opening andclosing of the water tank may be easily made because the opening/closingcover is rotatably installed in the water tank.

Tenth, the present disclosure has the effect that the water storageamount of the water tank may be maximized because the water supplyconnection tube is provided in the opening/closing cover.

Eleventh, the present disclosure has the effect that the water level offeed water in the water tank may be accurately recognized even with theuser's naked eyes because the opening/closing cover includes the coverwindow.

Twelfth, the present disclosure has the effect that contamination of thefeed water in the water tank may be prevented from being contaminatedbecause the surrounding frame is formed in the opening/closing cover.

Thirteenth, the present disclosure has the effect that it is possible toaccurately detect whether or not the water tank is mounted because themounting detection part is provided on the installation frame.

Fourteenth, according to the present disclosure, the upper surface frameis provided at the upper end of the installation frame, and a residualwater detection sensor that detects whether there is residual water offeed water supplied to the bed is provided in the upper surface frame,thus accurately detecting whether the residual water is present.

Fifteenth, according to the present disclosure, the feed water issupplied to the bed. In this case, it is possible to prevent the feedwater from being supplied more than necessary by detecting whether theresidual water remains in the bed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded-perspective view showing a plant cultivationapparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the exterior of the plantcultivation apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the plant cultivation apparatus in a state in which anopening/closing door of the plant cultivation apparatus is closed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the exterior of the plantcultivation apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the plant cultivation apparatus in a state in which anopening/closing door of the plant cultivation apparatus is opened.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a pod of a plantcultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a side section view showing the pot of the plant cultivationapparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a side section view showing the plant cultivation apparatusaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a sectioned-perspective view showing an internal structure ofthe plant cultivation apparatus according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a machinechamber of the plant cultivation apparatus according to the embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the machinechamber of the plant cultivation apparatus according to the embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a bed of the plant cultivationapparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the bed of the plant cultivationapparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, theview being taken from another direction.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the bed of the plant cultivationapparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a cutaway perspective view showing a bed of the plantcultivation apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 14 is a side section view showing the bed of the plant cultivationapparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a sectioned-perspective view showing a coupled state betweenthe bed, a bed cover, and the pod of the plant cultivation apparatusaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a main-part section view showing an installation state of thebed of the plant cultivation apparatus according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of part “A” in FIG. 7.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a lighting module of the plantcultivation apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the view being taken from an upper side of the plantcultivation apparatus.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view partially showing a section of thelighting module of the plant cultivation apparatus according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing the lighting module of the plantcultivation apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the view being taken from a lower side of the plantcultivation apparatus.

FIG. 21 is a section view showing the lighting module of the plantcultivation apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of part “B” in FIG. 7, the view showing acirculation fan assembly of the plant cultivation apparatus according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view showing a water supply module ofthe plant cultivation apparatus according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 24 is an assembled perspective view showing a water supply moduleof the plant cultivation apparatus according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of a watertank of a water supply module of the plant cultivation apparatusaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing a state in which an opening andclosing cover of a water supply module of the plant cultivationapparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure isopened.

FIG. 23 is a main-part section view showing a coupling structure for ahandle of a water tank of a plant cultivation apparatus according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 28 is a side view showing a state in which an opening and closingcover of a water supply module of the plant cultivation apparatusaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure is opened.

FIG. 29 is a side view showing a state in which the water tank of thewater supply module of the plant cultivation apparatus according to theembodiment of the present disclosure is coupled to the installationframe.

FIG. 30 is a section view showing a state in which the water tank of thewater supply module of the plant cultivation apparatus according to theembodiment of the present disclosure is coupled to the installationframe.

FIG. 31 is an enlarged view of part “C” in FIG. 30.

FIG. 32 is a section view showing a state in which the water tank of thewater supply module of the plant cultivation apparatus according to theembodiment of the present disclosure is separated from the installationframe.

FIG. 33 is an enlarged view of part “D” in FIG. 32.

FIG. 34 is a rear view showing a state in which the water tank of thewater supply module of the plant cultivation apparatus according to theembodiment of the present disclosure is coupled to the installationframe;

FIG. 35 is a block diagram of a plant cultivation apparatus according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 36 is an exemplary view of an input unit and a display of a plantcultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 37 is a plan view for describing the flow of air into a machinechamber of a plant cultivation apparatus according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 38 is a plan view for describing a state of supply of water into abed in the plant cultivation apparatus according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 39 is a cross-sectional view for describing the flow of air into acultivation room in the plant cultivation apparatus according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 40 is a time chart for describing the start and stop of watersupply according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 41 is a flowchart for describing a method of controlling watersupply in a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 42 is a flowchart for describing a method of controlling watersupply in a plant cultivation apparatus according to another embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 43 is a flowchart for describing a method for controlling watersupply in a plant cultivation apparatus according to still anotherembodiment of the present disclosure.

MODE FOR THE INVENTION

Advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods forachieving them will be apparent with reference to embodiments describedbelow in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However,the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosedbelow, but can be implemented in various forms, and these embodimentsare to make the disclosure of the present disclosure complete, and areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and willfully convey the scope of the invention to those of ordinary skill inthe art, which is to be defined only by the scope of the claims. Likereference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Hereinbelow, an exemplary embodiment of a plant cultivation apparatus ofthe present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to37.

FIG. 1 is an exploded-perspective view showing the plant cultivationapparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2is a perspective view showing the plant cultivation apparatus accordingto the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a perspectiveview showing the plant cultivation apparatus according to the embodimentof the present disclosure, the plant cultivation apparatus in a state inwhich an opening/closing door thereof is opened.

As shown in the drawings, the plant cultivation apparatus according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure may include a cabinet 100, amachine chamber frame 200, and a water supply module 700.

The water supply module 700 may be provided in cultivation rooms 121 and122 which are separated from a machine chamber 201, and may be exposedwhen the opening/closing door 130 is opened, thereby making it easy toreplenish water to the water tank 710 and clean the water tank 710, andallowing the plant cultivation apparatus to be installed in a specificspace in a built-in manner.

Of course, the water supply module 700 may be installed inside themachine chamber 201 or in a separate space separated from thecultivation rooms 121 and 122 and the machine chamber 201, not in thecultivation rooms 121 and 122.

Hereinbelow, the plant cultivation apparatus according to the presentembodiment will be described for each configuration.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a pod of a plantcultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, and FIG. 5 is a side section view showing the pot of theplant cultivation apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

First, a pod 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

The pod 10 may be formed in an upward open container. Bed soil 11containing the nutrient solution (not shown) may be filled in the pod10.

The nutrient solution may be a material containing a nutrient that issupplied to a plant to grow better. The nutrient solution may beprovided in a water-soluble capsule form that gradually dissolves inwater, so that the nutrient solution may be contained in the feed waterwhile gradually dissolving every time when the feed water is supplied.

In addition, a seed paper 12 may be provided on an upper surface of thebed soil 11. The seed paper 12 may be a part where seeds are planted ina predetermined arrangement, and when the feed water is supplied whilethe seed paper 12 is seated on the upper surface of the bed soil 11, theseed paper 12 may completely dissolve and the seeds may remain on thebed soil 11.

A brick 13 may be provided on an upper surface of the seed paper 12. Thebrick 13 may be configured to control moisture and humidity of soil andto prevent mold growth, and be formed by processing mineral ore such asvermiculite into a powder form and then compresses.

An upper surface of the pod 10 may be covered with a protection sheet15, thereby protecting the inside thereof. In particular, a packingmember 14 may be provided between an upper surface of the brick 13 andthe protection sheet 15, so that the brick 13 may be protected from theoutside environment.

A type of a plant to be cultivated may be printed on a surface of theprotection sheet 15.

Meanwhile, a protrusion 16 may be formed downward on a lower surface ofthe pod 10 and the protrusion 16 may be formed in a container body inwhich a water flow hole 16 a may be provided at an lower surfacethereof. The protrusion 16 may be formed in a hollow pipe structure thatis open vertically and empty inside.

Further, a first absorber member 17 absorbing the feed water supplied tothe bed 300 may be provided in the protrusion 16, and a flat plateshaped second absorber member 18 may be provided between the firstabsorber member 17 and the bed soil.

The second absorber member 18 may serve to uniformly supply the feedwater absorbed by the first absorber member 17 to the entire portion ofthe bed soil 11.

Next, the cabinet 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

The cabinet 100 may be a part that forms the exterior of the plantcultivation apparatus.

The cabinet 100 may be formed in a container body that is openfrontward, and include an outer case 110 providing an outer wall surfacethereof and an inner case 120 providing an inner wall surface.

Herein, the outer case 110 may be formed in a container body shape thatis closed at an upper surface, and a lower surface and a front surfaceare open.

The inner case 120 may be positioned in the outer case 110 while beingspaced apart from the outer case 110. A foam insulation (not shown) maybe filled between the inner case 120 and the outer case 110.

The cultivation room 121, 122 may be provided in the inner case 120. Thecultivation rooms 121, 122 may be spaces provided for cultivation ofplants.

The cultivation room 121, 122 may include an upper cultivation room 121and a lower cultivation room 122. The two cultivation rooms 121 and 122may be configured to have separate spaces, respectively.

The cabinet 100 may have an opening/closing door 130 at a front surfacethereof.

The opening/closing door 130 may be configured to open and close thecultivation room 121, 122 of the cabinet 100. That is, as theopening/closing door 130 is provided in the cabinet 100, the plantcultivation apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure may be a closed-type cultivation apparatus.

In particular, in the case of the closed-type cultivation apparatus, theplant cultivation apparatus may cultivate the plant while providing asufficient amount of light and maintaining a predetermined temperaturetherein by lighting module 401, 402, a circulation fan assembly 500, anda temperature control module 600, which will be described below.

Meanwhile, the opening/closing door 130 may be one of a rotary typeopening and closing structure and a sliding type opening and closingstructure. Further, the door 130 may be configured to block the frontsurface of the cabinet 100.

In the present embodiment, the opening/closing door 130 is configured asthe rotary type opening and closing structure.

As an embodiment, the opening/closing door 130 may include a door frame131 having a rectangular frame structure with an empty inside portionand a sight glass 132 blocking the empty inside portion of the doorframe 131.

Preferably, the sight glass 132 may be formed of a transparent material,for example, may be formed of glass.

When the sight glass 132 is formed of glass, a protecting film (notshown) may be attached on the glass. The protecting film may be a lightshading film (partially shading) that minimizes the leakage of lightfrom the cultivation room indoors.

Instead of the protecting film, the sight glass 132 may have a darkcolor, so that the leakage of light indoors may be minimized.

In addition, the opening/closing door 130 may be composed of only atransparent window 132 without the door frame 131.

Next, the machine chamber frame 200 will be described with reference toFIGS. 1 and 6 to 9.

The machine chamber frame 200 may constitute a bottom portion of theplant cultivation apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

The machine chamber frame 200 may be extended from a lower portion ofthe outer case 110, as shown in FIG. 1. The machine chamber frame 200may include a bottom plate 211 constituting a bottom of the machinechamber frame 200, side surface plates 212 constituting opposite sidesurfaces thereof, a rear surface plate 213 constituting a rear surfacethereof, and an upper surface plate 214 constituting an upper surfacethereof.

That is, the machine chamber frame 200 may be formed in a box shapedstructure that has an open front surface. In this case, the uppersurface plate 214 may be provided as a bottom of the cultivation rooms121 and 122 in the cabinet 100.

The machine chamber frame 200 may be configured such that an open lowersurface of the outer case 110 is placed thereon and is coupled thereto.

The machine chamber frame 200 and the inner case 120 may be disposed tobe spaced apart from each other and the side surface plates 212 and therear surface plate 213 of the machine chamber frame 200 may berespectively configured to be connected to opposite side surfaces and arear surface of the outer case 110.

In addition, the interior space of the machine chamber frame 200 may beprovided as the machine chamber 201.

That is, the machine chamber 201 and the cultivation rooms 121 and 122may be respectively formed to have a space in the inner case 120 and aspace in the machine chamber frame 200 which are separate from eachother, thus providing independent spaces from each other.

A part of components of the temperature control module 600, which willbe described below, may be provided in the machine chamber 201.

Although not shown in the drawings, the inner case 120 and the machinechamber frame 200 may be formed in a singly body. In this case, aseparate partition for separating two spaces may be provided between thecultivation room 121, 122 and the machine chamber 201 so that thecultivation room 121, 122 and the machine chamber 201 may be formed tohave spaces which are independent from each other.

Further, an intake and exhaust grill 220 may be provided on the openfront surface of the machine chamber frame 200 that is the front of themachine chamber 201. That is, the intake and exhaust grill 220 may serveto guide airflow suctioned from the indoor into the machine chamber 201or airflow discharged from the machine chamber 201 to the indoor and toblock the open front surface of the machine chamber 201.

In addition, the intake and exhaust grill 220 may have an inlet 221 andan outlet 222. The inlet 221 and the outlet 222 may be separated fromeach other by being arranged at positions separated by a partition 230.In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the inlet 221 and theoutlet 222 may be distinguished as the inlet 221 at the left and theoutlet 222 at the right, when viewed from the front of the plantcultivation apparatus.

This is as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Further, the partition 230 separating a space inside the machine chamber201 into left and right sides may be provided in the machine chamberframe 200. That is, flow paths through which air flows into and isdischarged from the machine chamber 201 may be separated by thepartition 230.

A flow path through which air flows into the machine chamber 201 may bea space on the side on which the inlet 221 of the intake and exhaustgrill 220 is positioned, and a flow path through which air is dischargedfrom the machine chamber 201 may be a space on the side on which theoutlet 222 of the intake and exhaust grill 220 is positioned.

In addition, the opposite spaces in the machine chamber 201 which areseparated by the partition 230 may be configured to communicate witheach other at a rear portion of the spaces. That is, a rear end portionof the partition 230 may be spaced apart from a rear wall surface in themachine chamber 201, not to be in contact therewith, so that theopposite spaces separated from each other may communicate with eachother.

Although not shown in the drawings, an open hole (not shown) may beprovided in the rear end portion of the partition 230 to allow theopposite spaces in the machine chamber 201 to communicate with eachother.

Further, the partition 230 may be formed in a straight line shape, andmay be formed in an inclined structure or a bent structure. In thepresent embodiment, the partition 230 is formed in the bent structure.That is, by bending a part of the partition 230 by bending, portions inwhich the condenser 620 and the compressor 610 that will be describedlater are installed may be secured to be sufficiently large, compared toother portions.

Further, a condensed water reservoir 240 may be provided in the machinechamber 201 of the machine chamber frame 200. The condensed waterreservoir 240 that is described above may be positioned at a bottom atthe side where air flows into the machine chamber 201 through the inlet221, and may server to receive condensed water flowing down from thecondenser 620 and to fix the condenser 620 in the machine chamber.

Further, a heat exhaust opening 202 may be formed by penetrating therear surface plate 213 of the machine chamber frame 200. The heatexhaust opening 202 may be a hole provided to discharge (or suction) airdissipating heat of the compressor 610, which will be described below.That is, the heat exhaust opening 202 is additionally provided, so thatthe discharge of air may be smoothly performed.

The bottom plate 211 of the machine chamber frame 200 may have adischarge hole 203 that is provided to discharge the air dissipatingheat of the compressor 610.

Meanwhile, a rear portion of the upper surface plate 214 providing themachine chamber frame 200 may be formed to protrude upward more thanother portions thereof, so that the rear portion of the inside of themachine chamber 201 may have a high space compared to other portions.That is, considering a protruding height of the compressor 610 providedin the machine chamber 201, the rear portion of the machine chamber 201may be formed higher than the other portions thereof.

Further, a control module 20 (see FIG. 6) may be provided in a frontspace between an upper surface of the upper surface plate 214 and alower surface of the inner case 120, the lower surface thereof facingthe upper surface of the upper surface plate 214, the control module 20being provided to control operation with respect to each component ofthe plant cultivation apparatus.

Next, the bed 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 17.

The bed 300 may be a part provided to place the pod 10 thereon.

The bed 300 may be formed in a tray structure having a flat plate shapeor a circumference wall, and the bed 300 may be configured to store feedwater on an upper surface thereof.

In the present embodiment, first guide rails 101 may be respectivelyprovided on opposite wall surfaces (opposite wall surfaces in the innercase) in the cultivation room 121, 122. The first guide rails 101 mayguide the bed 300 to be moved back and forth so that the bed 300 may betaken out from the cultivation room 121, 122 in a drawer manner.

Guide ends 301 may be provided on opposite wall surfaces of the bed 300.The guide ends 301 may be configured to be supported by the first guiderails 101, so that the bed 300 may be taken out from the cultivationroom 121, 122 in the drawer manner.

In other embodiments, through other various other structures, the bed300 may be taken out from the cultivation room 121, 122 in the drawermanner.

Further, a water reservoir 310 may be provided in a rear surface of thebed 300. The water reservoir 310 may be a part receiving the feed waterfrom the outside of the bed 300 and providing the feed water into thebed 300.

The water reservoir 310 may protrude rearward from either side portionof the rear surface of the bed 300. In addition, a bottom surface of thewater reservoir 310 may be depressed downward thereby guiding the feedwater to flow into a communicating portion with a feed water flow path330, which will be described below.

In addition, at a center portion in the bed 300, a depression 320 thatis depressed from a bottom in the bed 300 is provided. Thereby, the feedwater supplied to the water reservoir 310 is guided by the feed waterflow path 330 to be supplied to the depression 320.

The feed water flow path 330 is formed in a groove extended from thewater reservoir 310 to the depression 320. Although not shown in thedrawings, the feed water flow path 330 may be a separate pipe or hosefrom the bed 300.

In particular, the feed water flow path 330 may be formed in an inclinedor round structure, the structure being gradually inclined downward asthe feed water flow path 330 goes from the water reservoir 310 to thedepression 320.

That is, by the above-described inclined or round structure, the supplyof the feed water may be performed quickly and the feed water suppliedto the depression 320 may be prevented from flowing back to the waterreservoir 310.

In addition, bank parts 331 may be provided at opposite sides of thefeed water flow path 330, the bank parts 331 being provided to preciselyguide the feed water. That is, by the bank parts 331, the feed watersupplied along the feed water flow path 330 may be smoothly supplied tothe depression 320 without deviating from the feed water flow path 330.

Further, a dam part 340 may be formed on a center portion in thedepression 320, the dam part 340 protruding upward from a surface of thedepression 320. The dam part 340 may be formed in a long protrusion thatis long in a left and right direction of the bed 300. Based on the dampart 340, the depression 320 may be divided into a front depression 321and a rear depression 322.

That is, when a plurality of pods 10 are seated in rows of the front andrear of the bed 300, pods 10 at the front row are arranged to be incontact with the front depression 321 while the protrusion 12 of each ofthe front pods is positioned rearward, and pods 10 at the rear row arearranged to be in contact with the rear depression 322 while theprotrusion 12 of each of the rear pods is positioned forward.

In particular, the dam part 340 may protrude from a bottom in thedepression 320, thus the feed water does not remain. Further, the dampart 340 may serve to guide the feed water to be supplied to only aportion where the protrusion 12 of the pod 10 is positioned.

Further, a flow guidance groove 302 may be provided in a portion of thebottom surface in the depression 320, the portion communicating with thefeed water flow path 330.

That is, the feed water flowing along the feed water flow path 330 maybe guided by the flow guidance groove 302 in the process of flowing intothe depression 320 to flow from one side of the depression 320 toanother side thereof.

In addition, a sensing protrusion 323 may protrude from the bottomsurface in the depression 320. An upper surface of the sensingprotrusion 323 may be positioned higher than the bottom surface of thedepression 320 and may be positioned lower than the bottom surface ofthe bed 300.

Meanwhile, a plurality of beds 300 may be provided. In this case, thebeds 300 may be respectively provided in the cultivation rooms 121 and122 while being vertically spaced apart from each other.

Of course, in other embodiments, the beds 300 may be installed spacedapart from each other left and right.

A vertical distance between the beds 300 may be set differently inresponse to sizes in the cultivation rooms 121 and 122 or the type ofplant to be cultivated. For example, as the first guide rails 101 thatare provided on the opposite wall surfaces in the cultivation room 121,122 are configured to be adjusted in vertical position, the verticaldistance between the beds 300 may be adjusted as needed.

A bed cover 350 may be further provided on the bed 300.

The bed cover 350 may be a part where the pod 10 is seated at a preciseposition thereof. An upper surface of the bed cover 350 has a pluralityof seating depressions 351 and 352 for the seating of each of the pods10.

Each of the seating depressions 351 and 352 may have a width roughlyequal to a width of the pod 10 and be depressed at a depth sufficient topartially receive the pod 10 therein. The bed cover 350 may be formed ofa metal material, and in particular, it is preferable that the bed cover350 is formed of stainless steel to prevent corrosion. The bed 300 maybe formed of acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene (ABS) resin.

In addition, the penetration hole 351 a, 352 a may be provided in theseating depressions 351, 352 to allow the protrusion 12 of the pod 10 topenetrate the seating groove 351, 352. That is, a user may place the pod10 at the precise position thereof by checking positions of thepenetration hole 351 a, 352 a and the protrusion 12.

In particular, the seating depressions 351 and 352 may be divided into afront row seating groove 351 on which each of the pods 10 at the frontrow is seated and a rear row seating depression 352 on which each of thepods 10 at the rear row is seated. The penetration hole 351 a of thefront row seating depression 351 and the penetration hole 352 a of therear row seating depression 352 may be arranged adjacent to each other.That is, when the bed cover 350 is seated on the bed 300, thepenetration holes 351 a and 352 a may be respectively positioned at thefront depression 321 and the rear depression 322 of the bed 300.

Further, a handle 360 may be provided in a front surface of the bed 300.The user can take out or reinstall the bed 300 in the drawer manner byusing the handle 360.

The handle 360 may be configured such that a front surface thereof isnot in contact with an inside surface of the opening/closing door 130,thus a gap may be provided between the front surface of the handle 360and the opening/closing door 130. That is, through the gap, air may flowbetween a lower cultivation room 121 and an upper cultivation room 122,and air flowing through the lower cultivation room 122 may be dischargedoutward of the plant cultivation apparatus through the gap.

Through the flow of air passing through the gap, a surface of theopening/closing door 130 may be prevented from condensation.

Next, the lighting module 401, 402 will be described with reference toFIGS. 18 to 21.

The lighting module 401, 402 may be a part for emitting light to the pod10 seated on the bed 300 in the cultivation room 121, 122. That is, asthe lighting module 401, 402 is provided in the plant cultivationapparatus, the plant cultivation apparatus may continue to provide lightto the plant, in spite of being the closed-type cultivation apparatus.

In the embodiment, the lighting module 401, 402 may be a light emittingdiode (LED) 421 and be configured to emit light.

The lighting module 401, 402 may include a lighting case 410constituting an outside appearance of the lighting module 401, 402, acircuit board 420 in which the LED 421 is embedded, and the lightingcover 430 covering the lighting case 410.

The lighting case 410 may be a part where the circuit board 420 isprovided. In addition, the lighting case 410 may have a plurality oflighting holes 411. The circuit board 420 may be provided by being fixedto an upper surface of the lighting case 410.

The LEDs 421 embedded in the circuit board 420 may be arranged to emitlight through the lighting holes 411 of the lighting case 410.

The lighting cover 430 which are exposed to the cultivation rooms 121and 122 may protect the circuit board 420 from moisture in thecultivation rooms 121 and 122.

It is preferable that the surface of the lighting cover 430 is coated orsurface-processed for the diffusion of light. Thus, light emitted fromthe LED 421 may be uniformly dispersed to the entire portion in thecultivation room 121, 122 without being focused on one portion.

Meanwhile, when the cultivation rooms 121 and 122 in the inner case 120are to be provided as two cultivation spaces up and down, the lightingmodules 401 and 402 may be provided as a first lighting module 401provided on the upper wall surface in the inner case 100 and a secondlighting module 402 installed to cross between the upper cultivationroom 121 and the lower cultivation room 122 to emit light to the lowercultivation room 122.

That is, since the second lighting module 402 functions as a partitionwall that separates the two cultivation rooms 121 and 122 up and down,it may be not necessary to provide a separate partition wall, wherebythe size of each cultivation room 121 and 122 is maximized.

The second lighting module 401 may be configured such that, a rear endthereof is fixed by a fan guide 520 of the circulation fan assembly 500,which will be described below.

Further, a residual water detection sensor 440 may be provided on theupper surface of the second lighting module 402. The residual waterdetection sensor 440 may detect residual water remaining in thedepression 320 of the bed 300 accommodated in an upper cultivationspace.

In particular, the residual water detection sensor 440 may be positionedin a portion where a sensing protrusion 323 is formed in the bottom ofthe bed 300 to detect whether residual water is present on the uppersurface of the sensing protrusion 323.

The residual water detection sensor 440 may be configured of acapacitance-type sensor and accurately detect the residual water in thedepression 320.

The residual water detection sensor 440 may be configured of othermethods not shown in the drawings. For example, the second residualwater detection sensor 440 may be configured as a mechanical sensor suchas a floating method or an electronic sensor using two electrodes.

A temperature sensor 450 may be provided on the upper surface of thesecond lighting module 402. The temperature sensor 450 may serve todetect the temperature in the cultivation room 121, 122 and allow theair temperature to be controlled by the temperature control module 600.

Next, the circulation fan assembly 500 will be described with referenceto FIGS. 1, 6, 7, and 22.

The circulation fan assembly 500 may be provided to circulate air in thecultivation room 121, 122.

The circulation fan assembly 500 may be provided in the rear space ofthe cultivation room 121 or 122 of a space inside the cabinet 100, andmay be configured to discharge air to the upper space of thecorresponding cultivation room 121 or 122 after air is sucked from thelower space in the cultivation room 121 or 122.

Meanwhile, the circulation fan assembly 500 may be provided for each ofthe cultivation rooms 121 and 122, or the single circulation fanassembly 500 may be configured to control air circulation to all thecultivation rooms 121 and 122.

In the present embodiment, the circulation fan assembly 500 may beprovided for each of the cultivation rooms 121 and 122. That is, the aircirculations in the cultivation rooms 121 and 122 may be performedequally or separately by the circulation fans assemblies 500,respectively.

When the air circulation may be controlled separately for each of thecultivation rooms 121 and 122, plants that require different types ofcultivation environments may be simultaneously cultivated in thecultivation rooms 121 and 122.

The circulation fan assembly 500 may include circulation fans 510, thefan guide 520, and a partition wall 530.

The circulation fans 510 may be fans driven to blow air. The circulationfans 510 may be radial flow fans that suction air in a shaft directionthereof and blows the air in a radial direction.

Further, the fan guide 520 may be a part guiding a flow of air blown bythe circulation fans 510 as the circulation fans 510 is provided in thecultivation room.

The fan guide 520 may have an installation hole 521 formed bypenetrating the fan guide 520, the installation hole being provided toreceive the circulation fans 510. The shroud 520 may have an air guide522 at a front surface thereof, the air guide 522 guiding air suctionedthrough the circulation fans 510 from a rear space in the cabinet 100 toflow into the cultivation room 121, 122.

The air guide 522 may be configured to guide air blown in the radialdirection of the circulation fans 510 to flow to the upper space in thecultivation room 121, 122.

Further, the partition wall 530 may be a part that is positioned at thefront of the fan guide 520 and blocks the fan guide 520 from thecultivation room 121, 122.

That is, the partition wall 530 may protect the circulation fans 510from the inside of the cultivation room 121 or 122.

A lower portion of the partition wall 530 may be open to the inside ofthe cultivation room 121 or 122. Thus, air flowing in the cultivationroom 121 or 122 may flow to the rear surface in the cabinet 100 throughthe open lower portion of the partition wall 530 and be then subjectedto heat exchange with an evaporator 630. Continuously, the air mayrepeat the circulation of being supplied to the upper space in thecultivation room 121, 122 by blowing force of the circulation fans 510and flow guidance of the fan guide 520.

In particular, opposite side surfaces of the partition wall 530 may befixed to the opposite wall surfaces or the rear wall surface in theinner case 120. The fan guide 520 may be provided on the partition wall530.

Next, the temperature control module 600 will be described withreference to FIGS. 7 to 9.

The temperature control module 600 may be configured to control thetemperature of air circulating in the cultivation room 121 or 122 of theinner case 120.

The temperature control module 600 may include a refrigeration systemincluding a compressor 610, a condenser 620, and an evaporator 630. Thatis, the temperature control of the air circulating in the cultivationroom 121 or 122 may be performed by the refrigeration system.

The compressor 610 and the condenser 620 may be provided in the machinechamber 201 in the machine chamber frame 200. The condenser 620 may bepositioned at the air inflow space of the opposite spaces separated bythe partition 230 in the machine chamber frame 200. The compressor 610may be positioned at a portion through which air passing through thecondenser 620 passes.

In particular, the compressor 610 may be positioned in one of the twospaces separated by the partition 230, to which the air is discharged.The above structure may be configured to allow the air flowing into themachine chamber 201 of the machine chamber frame 200 to pass through thecondenser 620 by priority.

That is, considering that the compressor 610 is configured to generate agreat quantity of heat, when the air conditioning module is configuredsuch that air passes through the compressor 610 and then heat-exchangeswith the condenser 620, heat exchange efficiency may be reduced.Accordingly, it is preferable that the air conditioning module isconfigured such that air passes through the condenser 620 before thecompressor 610.

The condenser 620 may be positioned in the front space in the machinechamber 201, and the compressor 610 may be positioned in the rear spacein the machine chamber 201.

The structure may be configured to maximally separate positions of thecompressor 610 and the condenser 620 and separate the compressor 610from the condenser 620, so that the effect of the high temperature heatof the compressor 610 to the condenser 620 may be reduced.

Cooling fans 611 may be provided in the air inflow side of thecompressor 610 that is the rear portion of the partition 230, so thatair may flow into and be discharged from the machine chamber 201 andradiate heat of the compressor 610.

The cooling fans 611 may serve to block a space on air inflow side, inwhich the condenser 620 is positioned in the rear portion of thepartition 230, and a space in which the compressor 610 is positioned.Therefore, effect of high temperature heat of the compressor 610 on thecondenser 620 may be reduced.

Further, the evaporator 630 may be arranged in a rear portion of thecirculation fan assembly 500 of each portion in the inner case 120. Thatis, by the operation of the circulation fan assembly 500, during thecirculated operation in which air is suctioned from the lower space inthe cultivation room and the air is discharged to the upper space in thecultivation room 121 or 122, the air may perform heat-exchange whilepassing through the evaporator 630.

The evaporator 630 may be a plate shaped evaporator. The evaporator 630may be stably provided in the rear space in the inner case 120 and maybe configured to improve heat exchange performance in a narrow place.

Meanwhile, the temperature control module 600 may have an electricheater. That is, when a plant that lives in a higher temperatureenvironment than the normal indoor environment is cultivated, theelectric heater may be used to cultivate the plant.

Next, the water supply module 700 will be described with reference toFIGS. 6, 7 and 23 to 34.

The water supply module 700 may be provided to supply the feed water tothe bed 300.

In the present embodiment, the water supply module 700 that stores thefeed water in advance may supply water to the bed 300 as much as therequired amount when the water supply is needed.

That is, in the conventional cultivation apparatus, the method ofsupplying the feed water of the required amount is not used, but amethod of storing enough feed water in a water storage and supplying thestored feed water to soil by using an absorbing member is used. Herein,the feed water is mixed with a nutrient solution, so that a problem withcontamination of the feed water may occur.

However, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, nutrientcomponents may be contained in the culture ground 11 of the pod 10. Thefeed water of the required amount may be supplied to the pod to preventresidual water from existing in portions other than a water tank 710, sothat odor due to contamination of the feed water may be fundamentallyprevented.

In particular, in the present embodiment, it is proposed that the watersupply module 700 is provided in the cultivation room 121 or 122 (seeFIGS. 6 and 7).

That is, the water supply module 700 may be provided in the cultivationroom 121 or 122 separated from the machine chamber 201 and be exposedwhen the opening/closing door 130 is opened.

Accordingly, maintenance of the water supply module 700 (e.g., takingout the water tank) may be easily performed by simply opening theopening/closing door 130 according to the needs of a user.

On the other hand, the water supply module 700 may be disposed betweenthe bottom surface of the inner case 120 (cultivation room) and the bed300. That is, considering that a gap may be provided between the bottom123 of the inner case 120 and the bed 300 because the upper surfaceplate 214 of the machine chamber frame 200 partially protrudes upwarddue to the height of the compressor 610 in the machine chamber 201, thewater supply module 700 may be positioned in the gap so that thecultivation space of the cultivation room 121 or 122 may be formed to belarge enough.

The water supply module 700 may include a water tank 710 and a waterpump 720 as shown in the attached FIGS. 23 and 24. The water tank 710may be a portion where the feed water is stored and a portion whichpumps the feed water to supply water to the water pump 720.

The water tank 710 may be formed in a square box-shaped structure withan open top surface (see FIG. 25).

Further, the water tank 710 may be positioned in the front space in thecabinet 100 and be provided to be drawable from the cabinet 100. Thatis, considering that the rear portion of the machine chamber 201 may beformed to be higher than the other portion due to the height of thecompressor 610, the water tank 710 may be provided in a front portion ofa lower portion in the inner case 120 provided due to the upwardprotruding portion of the machine chamber 201.

In this case, the second guide rails 102 (see FIG. 1) for guiding thefront and rear movement of the water tank 710 may be provided on bothside walls in the cabinet 100, and a guidance guide 712 (see FIG. 23)which is seated on the second guide rails 102 to be guided for movementmay be provided.

In addition, the water tank 710 may be configured to be exposed to theindoor when the opening/closing door 130 is opened. That is, theopening/closing door 130 may be configured to block not only thecultivation room 121, 122 but also the water tank 710, so that the watertank 710 may be exposed outward when the opening/closing door 130 isopened. Thereby, the user can easily take out the water tank 710 tosupply the feed water.

In addition, a handle 711 may be provided on the front surface of thewater tank 710. Accordingly, the user can take out and reinstall thewater tank 710 by using the handle 711 in a drawer manner. In this case,the handle 711 may be formed of a material different from that of thewater tank 710 to be coupled and fixed to the water tank 710.

Specifically, a jamming hook 715 may be formed to protrude from thebottom of an upper end of the handle 711, and a jamming groove 716 isrecessed from the upper surface of an extension jaw 713 on the frontside of the water tank 710, thereby allowing the jamming hook 715 andthe jamming groove 716 to be integrated with each other due to hookcoupling.

In this case, a fitting groove 717 may be formed to be recessed from theinner surface of the handle 711 such that a front end of the extensionjaw 713 is inserted to the fitting groove 717, thus preventing undesiredbreakaway when the handle 711 is coupled to the water tank 710. This isas shown in FIG. 27.

In particular, the handle 711 of the water tank 710 may be alsoconfigured not to be in contact with the door 130 like the handle 360 ofthe open/close bed 300. Thus, a gap may be provided between a frontsurface of the handle 711 and the opening/closing door 130 (see FIG. 6).

Further, an open upper surface of the water tank 710 may be configuredto be opened and closed by an opening/closing cover 750. That is, theupper surface of the water tank 710 may be selectively opened and closedby the opening/closing operation of the opening/closing cover 750,thereby allowing the feed water to be filled through the open uppersurface of the water tank 710.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 26 and 28, the opening/closing cover 750may be rotatably installed in the water tank 710. Accordingly, the usermay easily open and close the opening/closing cover 750.

In particular, the extension jaw 713 maybe formed to be bent outwardalong the periphery of the upper surface of the water tank 710, and theedges of the bottom of the opening/closing cover 750 may be placed onand be in close contact with the expansion jaw 713.

In this case, incision grooves 714 may be formed on both opposite frontportions of the extension jaw 713, so that the user lifts the bottom ofthe opening/closing cover 750 exposed to the bottom through the incisiongrooves 714 to easily open the opening/closing cover 750.

Further, the opening/closing cover 750 may be provided with a watersupply connection tube 760. The water supply connection tube 760 may bea pipe configured to be connected to the water pump 720 to transfer thefeed water stored in the water tank 710 to the water pump 720.

That is, the water pump 720 may be configured to be selectivelyconnected to the water tank 710 by the water supply connection tube 760,not configuration of being directly connected to the water tank 710.Thus, only the water tank 710 may be taken out from the cabinet 100.

The water supply connection tube 760 may include an inlet tube 761 and aconnection tube 762, the inlet tube 761 protruding from a lower surfaceof a rear side of the opening/closing cover 750 into the water tank 710,and the connection tube 762 being provided to be extended toward a rearsurface of an upper end of the inlet tube 761 and connected to the waterpump 720.

That is, when the water tank 710 is reinstalled in the plant cultivationapparatus, as the connection tube 762 is connected to the water pump720, the feed water in the water tank 710 may be pumped into the supplyhose 730 by the pumping operation of the water pump 720. Further, whenthe water tank 710 is taken out from the plant cultivation apparatus,the connection tube 762 may be configured to be separated from the waterpump 720.

In particular, it is preferable that the inlet tube 761 is formed toprotrude to the bottom of the water tank 710 so that the feed water inthe water tank 710 may be pumped as much as possible.

In the present embodiment, the water pump 720 may be operated by a pumpdriving part (not shown) such as a motor. The pump driving part may becontrolled by a controller 21 to be described later. Since the pumpdriving part is a known technology, a detailed description thereof willbe omitted.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 25, the opening/closing cover 750may include a cover frame 751 having a square frame with an openinterior and a cover window 752 covering an upper surface of the coverframe 751.

In this case, the cover window 752 may be preferably formed of atransparent material (e.g., glass or transparent acrylic). That is, awater level inside the water tank 710 may be easily observed with theuser's naked eyes through the cover window 752.

In addition, a seating groove 754 may be recessed from the upper surfaceof the cover frame 751, and the cover window 752 may be seated on andfixed to the seating groove 754.

Further, the inlet tube 761 may be formed of a tube body that isvertically open. That is, by forming the inlet tube 761 into a tube bodythat penetrates up and down of the opening/closing cover 750, the inlettube 761 may be injection molded together with the opening/closing cover750.

In this case, the open upper surface of the inlet tube 761 may beconfigured to be closed by the cover window 752, and a pumping force bythe water pump 720 may be provided only to the bottom of the inlet tube761, thereby achieving pumping of the feed water smoothly.

In addition, a surrounding frame 753 may be formed on the bottom of theopening/closing cover 750. The surrounding frame 753 may be formed toprotrude downward along the edges of the bottom surface of theopening/closing cover 750 and may be configured to be accommodated inthe water tank 710.

That is, when the opening/closing cover 750 covers the water tank 710,the surrounding frame 753 is accommodated into the water tank 710 sothat the bottom of the opening/closing cover 750 and the top of thewater tank 710 may be blocked.

In particular, the surrounding frame 753 may be formed to graduallyincrease in protrusion height toward the rear. This structure may guidewater droplets (condensation) occurring in the opening/closing cover 750to flow into the water tank 710 when the opening/closing cover 750 isrotated to open, thus preventing the water droplets from flowing to thecultivation rooms 121 and 122.

The water pump 720 may be a part pumping the feed water in the watertank 710.

The water pump 720 may be positioned in a space on the rear side of aportion where the water tank 710 is installed in a lower space of theinner case 120 (see FIGS. 1, 23, and 29 to 31).

In particular, an installation frame 740 may be provided between thewater tank 710 and the water pump 720, and the water pump 720 may befixed on a rear surface of the installation frame 740.

That is, when the water tank 710 is taken out, the installation frame740 may prevent the water pump 720 from being exposed outward and allowthe water pump 720 to be fixed in a precise position thereof.

In this case, a coupling hole 743 is formed to pass through theinstallation frame 740, and a pump connection pipe 721 connecting thecoupling hole 743 and the water pump 720 is provided on the rear surfaceof the installation frame 740.

That is, the water pump 720 may be installed in a free position anddirection through the additional provision of the pump connection pipe721, thus allowing the connection with the water supply connection tube760 to be made smoothly and accurately.

Further, the installation frame 740 may be provided with a mountingdetection part 741 for detecting whether or not the water tank 710 istaken out. In this case, the mounting detection part 741 may include acontact switch to determine that the water tank 710 is mounted when thewater tank 710 contacts the corresponding the mounting detection part741 to turn on the contact.

Of course, the mounting detection part 741 may include a proximitysensor, and may be configured variously, such as, to determine that thecorresponding water tank 710 is mounted when the water tank 710 isadjacent thereto.

In addition, the installation frame 740 is provided with a water leveldetection sensor 745 for detecting a water level of feed water in thewater tank 710. That is, the water level detection sensor 745 may allowa user to accurately recognize when to replenish the feed water.

Meanwhile, an upper surface frame 744 may be formed to be bent backwardat the upper end of the installation frame 740 to cover the uppersurface of the water pump 720. That is, the upper surface frame 744 mayprevent the water pump 720 from being damaged by blocking the uppersurface of the water pump 720 from the bottom of the bed 300 in thecultivation room 121 or 122.

In addition, a residual water detection sensor 742 may be installed onthe upper surface frame 744 to detect residual water remaining in thedepression 320 of the bed 300 positioned above the upper surface frame744.

The residual water detection sensor 742 may be installed to protrudeupward from the upper surface of the upper surface frame 744. That is,the residual water detection sensor 742 may be installed to be as closeas possible to the bed 300 to accurately detect the residual water inthe depression 320 of the bed 300.

Here, reference numeral 746 which is not described indicates aprotective cover for the installation and protection of the residualwater detection sensor 742.

In particular, the residual water detection sensor 742 may be positionedin a portion where a sensing protrusion 323 is formed in the bottom ofthe bed 300 to detect whether residual water is present on the surfaceof the sensing protrusion 323.

This structure may allow the residual water detection sensor 742 to beinstalled as close as possible to the surface of the sensing protrusion323 to more accurately determine whether to further replenish feed waterbased on the presence or absence of residual water on the surface of thesensing protrusion 323 and the water absorption amount of each pod.

The residual water detection sensor 440 may be configured of acapacitance-type sensor and accurately detect the residual water in thedepression 320.

Of course, the residual water detection sensor 742 may be configured asa mechanical sensor such as a floating method or an electronic sensorusing two electrodes.

Next, the supply hose 730 may be a coupling hose for supplying the feedwater pumped by the water pump 720 to the bed 300.

The supply hose 730 may be provided such that a first end thereof isconnected to the water pump 720 and a second end thereof is positioneddirectly above the water reservoir 310 of the bed 300.

In particular, a flow path valve 731 may be connected between the supplyhose 730 and the water pump 720. That is, the feed water pumped by thewater pump 720 may be selectively supplied to the water reservoir 310 ofeach bed 300 by the flow path valve 731.

The plant cultivation apparatus according to the present embodiment mayinclude a display 800.

The display 800 may be provided to display each condition of the plantcultivation apparatus and to perform various controls.

In this case, an operating state of the plant cultivation apparatus, atemperature in the cultivation room 121 or 122, a cultivation time, acurrent time, whether the water tank 710 is mounted, information on awater level of the feed water in the water tank 710, and the like may bedisplayed through the display 800.

Further, the display module 800 may be configured to be operated in atouchable manner, or may be configured to be operated by a button or aswitch.

The display module 800 may be provided in the cabinet 100 or in theopening/closing door 130.

However, when the display 800 is provided in the opening/closing door130, the connection structure of various signal lines or power lines maybe inevitably complicated. The display 800 may be preferably provided inthe cabinet 100.

Moreover, considering that the sight glass 132 constituting the insideportion of the opening/closing door 130 may be formed of a transparentmaterial such as glass, the display 800 may be preferably provided inthe front of the second lighting module 402 among the lighting modules401 and 402.

FIG. 35 is a block diagram of a plant cultivation apparatus according tothe present embodiment, FIG. 36 is an exemplary view of an input unitand a display of the plant cultivation apparatus, FIG. 37 is a plan viewfor describing the flow of air into a machine chamber of the plantcultivation apparatus, FIG. 38 is a plan view for describing a state ofsupply of feed water into a bed in the plant cultivation apparatus, andFIG. 39 is a cross-sectional view for describing the flow of air into acultivation room in the plant cultivation apparatus.

Referring to FIGS. 35 to 39, the operation of the plant cultivationapparatus according to the above-described embodiment of the presentdisclosure will be described in more detail for each process.

First, an operation of providing the pod 10 will be described.

When a new pod 10 is provided, a bed 300 positioned in the cultivationrooms 121 and 122 is taken out while the opening/closing door 130 isopened to open the cultivation rooms 121 and 122 in the inner case 120.

In this case, the bed 300 is taken out of the cultivation rooms 121 and122 in the inner case 120 while sliding along the first guide rail 101.Of course, the bed 300 may be taken out only to the extent that anoperation of seating the pod 10 can be easily made without discomfortwithout being completely taken out.

In this state, after a protective film (not shown) of the pod 10provided is removed, the pod 10 is placed on each of the seatingrecesses 351 and 352 of the bed cover 350.

In this case, the pod 10 is installed such that the protrusions 12formed in the bottom surface thereof are positioned to coincide with thepenetration holes 351 a and 352 a formed in the seating recesses 351 and352, so that the pod 10 is seated in a state of being partiallyaccommodated in the seating recesses 351 and 352.

When the pod 10 in which plant cultivation has been completed exists inthe seating recesses 351 and 352 of the bed cover 350, the correspondingpod 10 is taken of the bed cover 350 and a new pod 10 may be seated onthe seating recesses 351 and 352.

Then, when the seating of the pod 10 is completed, the bed 300 is pushedsuch that the bed 300 is received in the cultivation rooms 121 and 122.

The operation of seating the pod 10 is performed sequentially orselectively in either or both of the bed 300 of the upper cultivationroom 121 and the bed 300 of the lower cultivation room 122.

Next, the cultivation operation will be described.

In the state in which the pods 10 are provided to the beds 300 in thecultivation rooms 121 and 122 as described above, temperatures, theamount of light, and the supply of feed water should be controlled to besuitable for germination of seeds planted in the pods 10 or cultivationof germinated seeds.

These controls are performed by the controller 21 of the control module20.

The controller 21 may receive a user operation from the input unit 22.That is, the user may input operations of the plant cultivationapparatus and various commands or information for plant cultivationthrough the input unit 22.

For example, user operations and commands including power on/off of theplant cultivation apparatus, selection of a cultivation mode, selectionof a plant type and state, selection of a cultivation location, input ofa current time and an on time, on/off of WiFi, and the like may bereceived.

In one embodiment, the input unit 2 may be implemented, for example, inthe form of a button or a touch pad. In another embodiment, the inputunit 22 may be implemented in the form of a touch screen on the display800. In still another embodiment, the input unit 22 and the display 800may be formed integrally.

The input unit 22 may include a camera module for photographing an imageof a plant in the plant cultivation apparatus or an image of a barcodeor a QR code attached to a plant, a pod, a bed, or the like.

The display 800 may visually and/or audibly output a variety ofinformation for operations of the plant cultivation apparatus and plantcultivation. Accordingly, the user may check information output on thedisplay 800 to identify information on the plant cultivation apparatusand the cultivated plant.

The display 800 may include a flat panel display and a speaker to outputthe information.

In the present embodiment, the display 800 may be integrally providedwith the input unit 22 and may be provided with a touch panel forreceiving a user's touch input.

The display 800 of the present embodiment may display a user interface(UI) or a graphic user interface (GUI) related to operations of theplant cultivation apparatus.

Specifically, the display 800 may include at least one of a liquidcrystal display, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display, anorganic light-emitting diode display, a flexible display, and athree-dimensional display.

In addition, two or more displays may be present depending on theimplementation form of the plant cultivation apparatus. For example, oneor more displays may be installed in the front portion of the door inthe plant cultivation apparatus, or one or more displays may beinstalled in the interior space such that a user opens the door andoperates the displays.

When a touch sensor that detects a touch operation forms a touch screenby forming a mutual layer structure with the display 800, the displaymay be used as an input device in addition to an output device. Thetouch sensor may have the form of, for example, a touch film, a touchsheet, or a touch pad.

Further, the touch sensor may be configured to convert changes inpressure applied to a specific portion of the display 800 or capacitanceoccurring in a specific portion of the display into an electrical inputsignal.

The touch sensor may be configured to detect not only the position andarea of a touched region, but also a pressure at the time of the touch.When there is a touch input to the touch sensor, a signal correspondingthereto may be sent to a touch controller (not shown).

In this embodiment, the display 800 may be implemented integrally withthe input unit 22. The input unit 22 may be implemented in the form of aplurality of buttons or a touch pad.

The plurality of buttons may include a power button 801 for selectingon/off of the plant cultivation apparatus, a cultivation mode button 802for selecting a cultivation mode for a plant to be cultivated, acultivation location button 803 for selecting a location of upper andlower beds as a location of a plant to be cultivated, a time button 806for selecting and displaying a current time and an on time (operationtime), and an up-down adjustment button 807 for adjusting the currenttime and the on time up and down and a Wi-Fi button 808 for selectingwhether to perform Wi-Fi communication.

For a standard mode, a power saving mode, and a smart mode, cultivationconditions such as a watering amount, a water supply time, a lightintensity, a light emitting cycle, a ventilation time, anddehumidification control may be set in advance in each mode, and theoperation of the plant cultivation apparatus may be controlled accordingto the set cultivation conditions.

In particular, in the smart mode, the cultivation conditions may be setdifferently according to a state and a type of a plant. For example, thecultivation conditions may be set differently depending on whether theplants are in a germination state or the plants are herbs or leafyvegetables, and automatic cultivation may be made according to the setcultivation conditions.

When the Wi-Fi communication is turned on, the plant cultivationapparatus may perform wireless communication with the user's smartdevice. Accordingly, the user may control the operation of the plantcultivation apparatus according to preset cultivation conditions throughhis or her smart device at a remote location.

Accordingly, the user may check and set the cultivation conditions,including information on the operation of the plant cultivationapparatus and the cultivation status of the plant through his or hersmart device.

In addition, the display 800 may include a time display part 807 fordisplaying the current time and the on time, and a water tankinformation display part 808 for displaying whether the water tank 710is mounted or not and a water level.

In another embodiment, the input unit 22 may select a function using awireless signal received from an external device. Such an externaldevice may be a portable smart device.

For example, the user may wirelessly connect his portable smart device(e.g., a smart phone) to the plant cultivation apparatus through Wi-Ficommunication.

In addition, the input unit 22 may further include a microphone forinputting audio such as a user's speech. The input unit 22 may select acleaning mode by recognizing a user's speech input through themicrophone.

In addition, the plant cultivation apparatus may transmit stateinformation of the plant cultivation apparatus and information and dataabout the plant to an external device such as a portable smart devicethrough wired/wireless communication.

As an example, when the user selects a monitoring mode in the plantcultivation apparatus, the user may check the state information of theplant and state information of the plant cultivation apparatus throughhis or her portable smart device.

On the other hand, the controller 21 may receive a residual waterdetection signal from residual water detection sensors 440 and 742.Accordingly, the controller 21 may perform water supply control using aresidual water detection signal detected by the residual water detectionsensors 440 and 742.

Particularly, in the present embodiment, the residual water detectionsensors 440 and 742 may detect whether residual water is present on thesurface of a sensing protrusion 323 formed in the depression 320 of thebed 300.

That is, the residual water detection sensors 440 and 742 detectresidual water and transmit a residual water detection signalcorresponding to the detection of the residual water to the controller21 when the residual water is present on the surface of the sensingprotrusion 323. When the residual water is absent, the residual waterdetection sensors 440 and 742 cannot detect the residual water andtransmit a residual water detection signal corresponding tonon-detection of the residual water to the controller 21.

For example, when the residual water is detected, the residual waterdetection sensors 440 and 742 may transmit a high signal correspondingto the detection of the residual water to the controller 21. On thecontrary, when the residual water is not detected, the residual waterdetection sensors 440 and 742 may transmit a low signal corresponding tonon-detection of the residual water to the controller 21.

In this case, the controller 21 may start water supply by controlling awater supply module 700 when the residual water detection signalcorresponding to non-detection of the residual water is received fromthe residual water detection sensors 440 and 742.

Specifically, the controller 21 may operate the water pump 720 of thewater supply module 700 to supply the feed water stored in the watertank 710 to each bed 300. The water pump 720 may be operated by a pumpdriving part (not shown) such as a motor. Accordingly, the controller 21may control a pump driving part to operate the water pump 720.

The feed water may be pumped to the water pump 720 through the watersupply connection tube 760, and may be selectively supplied to a waterreservoir 310 of the bed 300 through the supply hose 730 and the flowpath valve 731.

In addition, the controller 21 may detect a flow rate of the feed watersupplied by the water pump 720. To this end, in one embodiment, a flowmeter (not shown) may be installed at at least one position of the waterpump 720, the water supply connection tube 760, the supply hose 730, orthe flow path valve 731 to detect the flow rate of the feed water.Alternatively, in another embodiment, the flow rate of the feed watermay be detected using a rotation speed of the motor. That is, since theflow rate of the pumped feed water is proportional to the rotation speedof the motor, the flow rate of the pumped feed water may be detectedusing a proportional correlation.

In addition, the controller 21 may receive a mounting detection signaland a water level detection signal from the mounting detection part 741and a water level detection sensor 745. The mounting detection signalmay be a signal for detecting whether the water tank 710 is properlymounted in place, and the water level detection signal may be a signalfor detecting a water level of feed water stored in the water tank 710.

Accordingly, when the mounting detection signal is received by thecontroller 21 by the mounting detection unit 741, the controller 21 maydetect that the water tank 710 is installed in a front portion of abottom space inside the inner case 120 provided due to an upwardprotrusion portion of the machine chamber 201.

In addition, when the water level detection signal is received by thewater level detection sensor 745, the controller 21 may identify thatthe feed water is stored a predetermined amount or more in the watertank 710.

When it is detected based on the water level detection signal that thewater level is below a predetermined threshold level, the controller 21may display information on the water level through the display 800.

As described above, the controller 21 may perform water supply controlin a state in which the mounting detection signal and the water leveldetection signal are normally received.

In addition, the controller 21 may receive a temperature detection valueresulting from detection of a temperature in the cultivation rooms 121and 122 from the temperature sensor 450, and the controller 21 mayadjust an air temperature in the cultivation rooms 121 and 122 bycontrolling a temperature control module 600 based on the temperaturedetection value received by the temperature sensor 450.

In addition, the controller 21 may control at least one or more of thelighting modules 401 and 402, the circulation fan assembly 500, thetemperature control module 600, and the water supply module 700. Acontrol process will be described in detail below.

Meanwhile, the operation of the plant cultivation apparatus and thecontrol according to plant cultivation by the control module 20 may beperformed by a predetermined program or may be selected and specified bya user by manual.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is assumed that controlis automatically performed according to a program that is basically set.Of course, the program may be changed depending on a type or cultivationmethod of each plant.

Then, the control process may be performed by the controller 21according to information input by operation of the display 800 formedintegrally with the input unit 22.

That is, when the user selects a cultivation condition by operating thedisplay 800 in a state in which the bed 300 with the pod 10 installed inthe cultivation rooms 121 and 122 is provided, the controller 21 maycultivate a corresponding plant automatically by controlling thetemperature control module 600, the circulation fan assembly 500, thelighting modules 401 and 402 and the water supply module 700.

Here, when the operation of the temperature control module 600 iscontrolled, the refrigeration system including the compressor 610, thecondenser 620, and the evaporator 630 and the heat dissipation fan 611are operated to perform a refrigeration operation.

In particular, when the refrigeration operation is performed, indoor airis sucked into the machine chamber through the inlet 221 of the intakeand exhaust grill 220 installed on the open front surface of the machinechamber 201, and air passing through the machine chamber through theoutlet 222 of the intake and exhaust grill 220 is discharged. In thiscase, the indoor air sucked through the inlet 221 is subjected to heatexchange and heat transfer by passing through the condenser 620, theheat sink fan 611 and the compressor 610, and is then discharged to theroom through the outlet 222. Details will be described below withreference to FIG. 37.

In addition, the circulation fan 510 constituting the circulation fanassembly 500 is operated during the refrigeration operation.

Accordingly, air present in the rear space in the inner case 120 issupplied into the cultivation rooms 121 and 122 by passing through thecirculation fan 510 and at the same time, flows into the cultivationrooms 121 and 122, and then flows into the rear space in the inner case120 through the lower open portion of the partition wall 530 located atthe rear side of the cultivation rooms 121 and 122.

The temperature in the cultivation rooms 121 and 122 may be controlledwhile repeatedly performing the circulation supplied to the cultivationrooms 121 and 122 by blowing of the circulation fan 510 after beingsubjected to heat exchange with the evaporator 630 located in thecorresponding space.

In particular, while air circulation in the cultivation rooms 121 and122 is repeatedly performed by the operation of the circulation fan 510,air flowing along the rear spaces of the cultivation rooms 121 and 122is supplied to the upper spaces in the cultivation rooms 121 and 122respectively through the circulation fan assemblies 500 after beingsubjected to heat exchange by passing through the evaporator 630 locatedin the corresponding space.

Therefore, the air introduced into the cultivation rooms 121 and 122 ismaintained at a constant temperature while flowing through thecultivation rooms 121 and 122, whereby the cultivated plant may becultivated under an optimal temperature condition.

On the other hand, a part of air circulating through the uppercultivation room 121 flows into the lower cultivation room 122 whilepassing through a gap between the front of the upper bed 300 and theopening/closing door 130, and a part of the air circulating through thelower cultivation room 121 passes through the gap between the front ofthe lower bed 300 and the opening/closing door 130.

Accordingly, moisture is prevented from being generated on the surfaceof the opening/closing door 130 by the flow of air passing through thegap. Details will be described below with reference to FIG. 38.

Then, when the cultivation operation is performed, the lighting modules401 and 402 are operated.

Light source is provided to the plants in the cultivation rooms 121 and122 in such a way that the LED 421 is periodically turned on/off (orcontinuously turned on/off) by controlling the operation of the lightingmodules 401 and 402.

Of course, even when the LED 421 emits light by the control of thelighting modules 401 and 402, a protective film (not shown) of atransparent window 132 (or a dark-colored transparent window) formingthe opening/closing door 130 transmits light of the cultivation rooms121 and 122 through the room to minimize reflection, thereby minimizinginconvenience to the user in the room.

In addition, when the above-described cultivation operation isperformed, the water supply module 700 is operated periodically (or, ifnecessary).

That is, the controller 21 operates the water pump 720 for each wateringcycle when a cultivated plant is determined and a watering cycle isdetermined. In this case, the controller 21 does not operate the waterpump 720 when it is identified through the detection of the mountingdetection part 741 that the water tank 710 does not exist.

On the other hand, when the existence of the water tank 710 isidentified through a mounting detection signal received by the mountingdetection part 741, the controller 21 may operate the water pump 720 tosupply the feed water stored in the water tank 710 to each bed 300.

In this case, the feed water is pumped to the water pump 720 through thewater supply connection tube 760, and is selectively supplied to thewater reservoir 310 of each bed 300 through the supply hose 730 and theflow path valve 731.

Then, the feed water supplied to the water reservoir 310 is provided tothe depression 320 in the bed 300 by being guided by the water supplyflow path 330 connected to the water reservoir 310.

In this case, since dike portions 33 are formed to protrude from bothsides of the water supply flow path 330, the feed water may smoothlyflow into the depression 320 along the water supply flow path 330.

In addition, a flow guide groove 302 is formed in a communicationportion between the water supply flow path 330 and the depression 320,and when considering that the depression 320 has a track-type structure,the feed water which is guided to the water supply flow path 330 to flowto any one portion of the depression 320 is guided by the flow guidegroove 302 and flows from the any one portion of the depression 320toward the other portion, thus filling the front depression 321 and therear depressions 322 sequentially. This is as shown in the attached FIG.36.

The feed water filled in the depression 320 is absorbed by the cultureground 11 of the corresponding pod 10 through the protrusion 12 of eachpod 10 installed to contact the feed water in the depression 320 to besupplied to the plant.

In the course of the water supply, the residual water detection sensor440 or 742 may detect whether the residual water is remaining in thedepression 320, and in particular, in the present embodiment,specifically, the residual water detection sensor 440 or 742 may detectwhether or not residual water of the feed water is present on thesurface of the sensing protrusion 323 of the depression 320.

When the controller 21 receives a residual water detection signalaccording to detection of the residual water detection or non-detectionof residual water by the residual water detection sensors 440 and 742and determines that the residual water of the feed water is present onthe surface of the sensing protrusion 323 of the depression 320, thecontroller 21 may stop the operation of the water pump 720 to allow thefeed water not to be supplied.

The water supply control method using the residual water detectionsensors 440 and 742 may be to prevent residual water from remaining inthe bed 300. That is, it is possible to prevent the occurrence ofresidual water due to excessive water supply and occurrence ofcontamination of residual water by allowing the water of required amountto be supplied.

In particular, when considering that it is needed that the feed watergradually increases as the plant grows, the method according to theembodiment of the present disclosure may supply the more water as themore water is absorbed by corresponding plants, thus achieving properwatering always even when the amount of water to be needed varies whenthe plants flows.

To this end, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possibleto control water supply by identifying the residual water detectionsignal by the residual water detection sensor and the number of times ofwater supply. Details will be described again below.

Meanwhile, the water level detection sensor 745 may sense a level of thefeed water in the water tank 710 and inform the level to the controlmodule 20. In this process, when the level of the feed water is lowerthan a set water level, the controller 21 may stop the operation of thewater pump 720 and display the fact that the water level is insufficienton the display 800.

As described above, when replenishment of feed water in the water tank710 is required, the user may open the opening/closing door 130 toexpose the water tank 710 to the room, and then take out the water tank710 to replenish the feed water.

The water tank 710 is taken out by a sliding method. That is, by holdingthe handle 711 of the water tank 710 and pulling it toward the room, thewater tank 710 may be taken out toward the room by being guided by thesecond guide rail 102 and moved forward.

In this case, the connection pipe 762 of the water supply connectiontube 760 may break away from the coupling hole 743 of the installationframe 740 while being separated from the pump connection pipe 721, sothat the water supply connection tube 760 is disconnected from the waterpump 720. This is as shown in FIGS. 32 and 33 attached.

The water tank 710, which is taken out as described above, may open theopening/closing cover 750 to allow the upper surface thereof to beopened and then replenish the feed water through the opened uppersurface.

In this case, when considering that the opening/closing cover 750 isrotatably installed in the water tank 710, the opening/closing cover 750may be easily opened by lifting bottom surfaces at both sides of a frontend of the opening/closing cover 750 (a portion exposed through anincision groove formed in an expansion jaw of the water tank).

Then, when replenishment of the feed water is completed, the water tank710 is accommodated between the bottom in the cultivation room 121 or122 and the bottom of the bed 300.

In this case, the water tank 710 is accommodated while slidably movingthrough the guidance of the second guide rail 102. In this accommodationprocess, the connection pipe 762 of the water supply connection tube 760may be connected to the pump connection pipe 721 by passing through thecoupling hole 743 of the installation frame 740. This is as shown inFIGS. 30 and 31 attached.

When the accommodation of the water tank 710 is completed, the controlmodule 20 which has identified the accommodation, may allow the waterpump 720 to operate at a predetermined cycle, or allow the water pump720 to operate based on whether residual water is present in each bed300, which is detected by the residual water detection sensor 440 or742.

In this case, whether or not the water tank 710 is accommodated may bedetermined based on whether the contact is in an on state according tothe contact of the mounting detection part 741. Of course, when themounting detection part 741 is a non-contact sensor, it may beidentified whether the water tank is adjacent to the installation frame.

In particular, the installation frame 740 may allow the water tank 710to be accommodated only up to a correct position, thus preventingexcessive accommodation.

As a result, the plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosuremay be easily managed in taking out the water tank 710 or replenishingwater according to the user's needs because the water tank 710constituting the water supply module is provided in the cultivationrooms 121 and 122.

On the other hand, in one embodiment according to the presentdisclosure, the plant cultivation apparatus may set a watering amountand the number of times of water supply for the feed water supplied tothe bed 300 in the cultivation room 121 or 122. In a case where watersupply is requested in the plant cultivation apparatus, the water supplymay be set to proceed at once, or the number of times of water supplymay be set such that water supply is performed several times.

In addition, in the plant cultivation apparatus, a total watering amountand a single watering amount may be set during water supply. That is,the total watering amount and the single watering amount may be set inadvance with respect to the feed water supplied when water supply isperformed at a set time or at a set cycle.

For example, it may be set that a total of 500 ml of feed water issupplied per a day and the feed water of 50 ml is supplied one time. Inthis case, the total watering amount of water supplied per a day may be500 ml, and the single watering amount of water supplied one time may beset to 50 ml. When the total watering amount and the single wateringamount may be set, the number of times of water supply may beautomatically set. In this case, the number of times of water supply maybe ten times.

The total watering amount and the single watering amount may be changedas well. For example, it is possible to change the characteristics ofthe plant cultivation apparatus, that is, a size of the bed 300, a plantto be cultivated, culture ground provided to a pod, and the like.

In this case, the water supply control according to the presentembodiment may be performed by the controller 21 based on the detectionsignal of the residual water detection sensor 742.

Specifically, the controller 21 may receive and store the total wateringamount and the single watering amount from a user. That is, the user mayinput a user operation for the total watering amount and the singlewatering amount through the input unit 22. Of course, in anotherembodiment, default information may also be set in the plant cultivationapparatus. In addition, the user may change preset information.

In order to supply water to the bed 300, the residual water detectionsensor 440 or 742 may detect whether residual water is present in thebed 300, and transmit a residual water detection signal corresponding tothe detection or non-detection of residual water to the controller 21.

The controller 21 may determine whether to supply water according to theresidual water detection signal and control necessary components suchthat water is supplied when water supply is required.

First, when water supply is started, only a predetermined singlewatering amount is supplied, and then the water supply is temporarilystopped. In this case, when the residual water in the bed 300 isdetected by the residual water detection sensor 440 or 742 according tothe water supply, waiting may be performed until a plant may absorb thewater and the residual water is then not detected in the bed 300. On thecontrary, when the residual water in the bed 300 is not detected by theresidual water detection sensor 440 or 742 despite the water supply, thewater supply is stopped after the water of the single watering amount issupplied once or more.

When the residual water is not detected by the residual water detectionsensor 440 or 742 after only the water of the single watering amount issupplied and water supply is stopped, the water of the single wateringamount is supplied once again. After waiting for a certain period oftime when the residual water is detected, the water of the singlewatering amount is supplied once again when the residual water is notdetected.

This process is repeatedly performed until water is supplied by a presettotal watering amount.

On the other hand, in another embodiment, when detection of the residualwater is continuously maintained by the residual water detection sensor440 or 742 while a process of supplying the single watering amount andstopping water supply is repeatedly performed, the water supply may notbe performed any more. This is to prevent water supply because theresidual water is continuously present in the bed even when the feedwater is not supplied as much as the total watering amount.

Thus, the water supply may be repeatedly performed and stopped accordingto the detection signal for the presence or absence of residual water.That is, when the residual water is detected (detection of residualwater), the water supply may be stopped, and when the residual water isnot detected (non-detection of residual water), the water supply may beperformed. This process may be repeatedly performed until the feed wateris supplied as much as the preset total watering amount.

FIG. 40 is a time chart for describing the start and stop of watersupply according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to the drawings, in the plant cultivation apparatus of thisembodiment, water supply to the bed 300 is performed as much as thesingle watering amount in a state in which the total watering amount andthe single watering amount are set in advance.

Here, the start time of the water supply may be determined by variousmethods. For example, when a set cycle is reached, the water supply maybe started, or the water supply may be started at a set time.Alternatively, when the residual water is not detected by the residualwater detection sensor 440 or 742 or a time during which the residualwater is not detected has elapsed over a set time, water supply may bestated. The start time of the water supply may be changed by the user.

When the first water supply is started as described above, thecontroller 21 may determine whether the residual water is detected bythe residual water detection sensor 440 or 742. When the residual wateris not detected, the second water supply may be started in the singlewatering amount. When the residual water is detected due to the firstwater supply and waiting is performed until the plant or the cultureground absorbs the water and the residual water is not detected, andwhen the residual water is not detected, the second water supply may bestarted.

That is, when the residual water is detected, the detection iscontinuously performed until the residual water is not detected, andwhen the residual water is not detected because water is absorbed by theplant or the culture ground, the second water supply is started.

After starting the second water supply as described above, it may beidentified whether the residual water is detected, and when the residualwater is not detected, a third water supply may be performed again asmuch as a single watering amount. When the residual water is detected,waiting is performed until the residual water is not detected and thenwhen the residual water is not detected, the third water supply isstarted.

This process is repeatedly performed until water is supplied as much asa preset total watering amount.

As described above, in the present embodiment, water is supplied eachtime as much as a preset single watering amount. When the residual wateris not detected in the case of detecting the residual water after thewater supply is started, the next water supply is started or when theresidual water is detected, waiting is performed until the residualwater is not detected and when the residual water is not detected, thenext water supply is started.

This process may be repeatedly performed until the amount of feed watersupplied reaches the total watering amount.

FIG. 40 shows an example in which residual water is detected only afterwater supply has been performed four times, each time the water of thesingle watering amount being supplied. The residual water may bedetected after the fourth water supply, and when the residual water isnot detected again after a certain time has elapsed, the fifth watersupply may be performed in the single watering amount. Then, theresidual water is detected again, and when the residual water is notdetected after waiting is performed a certain period of time, the sixthwater supply may be performed again.

In this case, as shown, a water supply interval may increase as thewater supply is repeatedly performed. That is, the relationship oft1<t2<t3 may be accomplished. Because the plant and the culture groundabsorb water due to the water supply, the rate of water absorptiongradually slows down and a residual water remaining time in the bedbecomes longer as water supply is repeatedly performed.

Therefore, as the water supply is repeatedly performed, a residual waterdetection time for which the residual water is detected by the residualwater detection sensor 440 or 742 may gradually increase. That is,relationship of S1<S2 may be achieved.

In particular, since the residual water detection sensor 440 or 742detects the residual water for the first time, the water supply intervaland the residual water detection time may increase. That is, until theresidual water detection sensor 440 or 742 detects residual water forthe first time, the feed water supplied to the bed is immediatelyabsorbed by the plants and the culture ground, so that the residualwater is rarely detected. Thereafter, when the plants and the cultureground have sufficiently absorbed water, residual water may remain, andthe residual water detection sensor 440 or 742 may detect the residualwater for the first time. After that, the rate of water absorption mayrapidly decrease, and the residual water remaining time may increase.This is because the water supply interval becomes longer.

On the other hand, in another embodiment, when the feed water suppliedto the bed 300 continuously remains and the residual water detectionsensor 440 or 742 continuously detects the residual water in the bed300, the water supply is stopped even though water is not supplied asmuch as the preset total watering amount.

That is, the above-described water supply process is repeatedlyperformed until water is supplied as much as the total watering amount.When water is not detected after the water supply is started, water issupplied as much as the single watering amount each time. However, whenthe feed water is sufficiently supplied and detection of the residualwater is continuously maintained, the water supply may not proceed. Thismeans that even though the total watering amount is not supplied, watersupply may be stopped.

Of course, as the time passes, the plants need to be watered again andthe bed needs to be supplied with water. However, when a time period forsetting the total watering amount is short, the water supply may not beperformed since the feed water may be supplied sufficiently even whenthe total watering amount is not supplied.

FIG. 41 is a flowchart for describing a method of controlling watersupply in a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure, FIG. 42 is a flowchart for describing a methodof controlling water supply in a plant cultivation apparatus accordingto another embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 43 is aflowchart for describing a method for controlling water supply in aplant cultivation apparatus according to still another embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 41, while the plant cultivation apparatus is operating(S101), the controller 21 may receive a residual water detection signalfrom the residual water detection sensor 440 or 742 for detecting theresidual water for each of the plurality of beds 300. Accordingly, thecontroller 21 may check the residual water in each bed 300 based on theresidual water detection signal (S103).

The controller 21 may identify whether there is a bed where residualwater is not detected and select a water supply location by identifyinga position of the bed where residual water is not detected (S105). Thatis, this water supply location may be the position of the bed where theresidual water is not detected.

Subsequently, the controller 21 may perform water supply to thecorresponding bed according to the selected bed location (S107). To thisend, the controller 21 may control the operation of the water supplymodule 700 to supply water to the bed where the residual water is notdetected.

Subsequently, the controller 21 may determine whether water supply iscompleted for all beds in which water supply is needed (S109), and whenwater supply is not completed for all beds, proceed to step S103 tocheck the residual water for each bed.

When it is determined that water supply is completed for all beds, thewater supply is completed (S111).

FIG. 42 shows a water supply control method according to anotherembodiment. Since the water supply control method is equally applied toall beds, the water supply control method for a single bend will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 41. Of course, the water supply controlmethod may be applied to water supply control for each of a plurality ofbeds.

Referring to the drawings, while the plant cultivation apparatus is inoperation, the controller 21 may check residual water based on aresidual water detection signal received from the residual waterdetection sensor 440 or 742 that detects the residual water in the bed300 (S201).

The residual water detection signal may include a residual waterdetection signal corresponding to detection of the residual water and aresidual water detection signal corresponding to non-detection of theresidual water.

As a result of checking the residual water of the bed, when the residualwater is not detected (S203), the controller 21 may start water supplyto a corresponding bed (S205). To this end, the controller 21 maycontrol the operation of the water supply module 700 to supply water tothe bed where the residual water is not detected. Specifically, thecontroller 21 may drive the water pump 720 to pump feed water stored inthe water tank 710 and supply the feed water to the bed 300.

Thereafter, the controller 21 may determine whether a first set time haselapsed since the start of the water supply (S207). To this end, thecontrol module 20 may include a timer (not shown) for counting time, andthe controller 21 may control the operation of the timer and receive anelapsed time from the timer after a specific time has elapsed.

The controller 21 may continuously supply water until the first set timehas elapsed after the start of water supply, and may terminate watersupply when the first set time has elapsed (S209). In the presentembodiment, for example, the first set time may be set to 20 to 40seconds, preferably 30 seconds. Of course, the figures are merelyexamples and may be changed according to the type and condition ofplants.

Subsequently, the controller 21 may count the number of times of watersupply when the water supply is terminated as described above (S211).That is, the number of times of water supply may be counted every timewater supply is started and terminated.

Then, the controller 21 may determine whether detection of the residualwater is maintained continuously for a second set time (S213).Specifically, when water supply is started by the control of thecontroller 21, the feed water may be supplied to the depression 320, andthe residual water detection sensor 440 or 742 may determine whether thefeed water remains in the depression 320 of the bed 300.

In the present embodiment, the second set time may be determined withina range of 10 minutes to 1 hour, and may be preferably 30 minutes. Ofcourse, the figures are merely examples and may be changed depending onthe type and condition of the plant or the condition of the soilcontained in the culture ground.

In this way, it is determined whether detection of the residual water iscontinuously maintained for the second set time after the water supplyto the bed is started and the residual water detection sensor 440 or 742detects that the residual water is present.

On the other hand, as described above, when the water supply is started,there may be a case in which the residual water detection sensor 440 or742 detects residual water, but detection of the residual water is notcontinuously maintained. For example, when water supply is started, feedwater may be supplied to the depression 320 of the bed 300. The feedwater supplied to the depression 320 may be absorbed into the cultureground 11 of the pod 10 and supplied to plants.

In this case, when the culture ground 11 has little water and theculture ground 11 absorbs a lot of water, the amount of the residualwater remaining in the depression 320 may be rapidly reduced. Asdescribed above, when the amount of feed water remaining in thedepression 320 decreases or disappears, the residual water detectionsensor 440 or 742 may not detect the residual water on the surface ofthe sensing protrusion 323 of the depression 320, and thus transmit aresidual water detection signal indicating non-detection of residualwater to the controller 21.

That is, even though the residual water detection sensor 440 or 742detects the residual water once, detection of the residual water may notbe continuously maintained for a predetermined time (second set time).

Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to determinewhether or not to supply water by identifying whether detection of theresidual water is continuously maintained for the predetermined time.

The fact that the residual water is continuously detected for the secondset time may mean that the feed water required for plant cultivation issufficiently supplied, and conversely, the fact that detection of theresidual water is not continuously maintained for the second set timemay mean that water supply is further needed.

Accordingly, the controller 21 may determine that the feed water issufficiently supplied when detection of the residual water is maintainedfor the second set time in step S213 to complete the water supply(S217).

When detection of the residual water is not maintained for the secondset time (S213), it may be determined whether the counted number oftimes of water supply has reached a reference number of times (S215).When the number of times of water supply has reached the referencenumber of times, the water supply is completed (S217), or when thenumber of times of water supply has not reached the reference number oftimes, the process proceeds to step S205 to restart water supply.

This is to limit the number of times of water supply because the watersupply cannot be restarted indefinitely while detection of the residualwater is not maintained for the second set time.

That is, even though detection of the residual water is not continuouslymaintained for the second set time, the water supply may be completedwhen the water supply has been performed the reference number of times.

Through the water supply control, feed water required for plantcultivation may be supplied.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, a water supply cycle is set inadvance, and the controller 21 may perform water supply according to theset water supply cycle. Therefore, the controller 21 is capable ofproviding feed water to the plants through the above-described watersupply control at water supply cycles.

FIG. 43 shows a water supply control method according to still anotherembodiment.

As described above, since the water supply control method according tothe present embodiment is equally applied to all beds, the water supplycontrol method for a single bend will be described with reference toFIG. 43. Of course, the water supply control method may be applied towater supply control for each of a plurality of beds.

In the present embodiment, a total watering amount and a single wateringamount according to the water supply can be set in the plant cultivationapparatus (S301). Specifically, the total watering amount of feed waterto be supplied at every set time or a set cycle, that is, the totalwatering amount, and the amount of the feed water in the case of watersupply one time, that is, the single watering amount may be set inadvance.

As an example, when it is set to supply a total of 500 ml of feed waterper day and to supply 50 ml of water at single water supply, the totalamount of feed water supplied per day is 100 ml, and the single wateringamount is set to 50 ml. Naturally, the total watering amount and thesingle watering amount may be changed.

As in the above example, when it is set that the water of total 500 mlis supplied in one day, but the water of 50 ml is supplied at one time,water supply may be performed a total of ten times.

When the request to start water supply is input (S303), the controller21 may start water supply according to the input request to start watersupply (S305).

The request to start water supply may be made in various ways asdescribed above. For example, water supply may be requested at a settime, water supply may be requested at every set period, or when theresidual water is not detected or the time for which the residual wateris not detected continues for a predetermined time or more, water supplymay be requested.

In addition, the start of the water supply may mean that the supply ofthe feed water to the bed 300 is started, and the supply of the feedwater may be made by the operation of the water pump 720 under thecontrol of the controller 21 as described above.

When water supply is started, feed water is supplied until the setsingle watering amount is reached. Accordingly, the controller 21 maydetermine whether the amount of feed water supplied has reached thesingle watering amount after the start of water supply (S307).

When it is determined that the amount of feed water supplied has reachedthe single watering amount, the water supply is stopped (S309).

Then, the controller 21 may determine whether the residual water isdetected by the residual water detection sensor 4400 or 742 (S311). Whenthe residual water is detected by the residual water detection sensor440 or 742, the residual water is continuously detected until theresidual water is not detected, or when the residual water is notdetected, it is determined whether the amount of feed water supplied dueto water supply until now has reached the set total watering amount(S313).

When the residual water is first detected by the residual waterdetection sensor 440 or 742, water is absorbed by the plants and theculture ground, and when some time elapses after the residual water isdetected, the residual water is not detected.

When water is supplied as much as the total watering amount in S313, thewater supply is completed (S315), or when water is not supplied as muchas the total watering amount, the process proceeds to step S305 again tostart water supply.

This process is repeatedly performed until water has been supplied asmuch as the total water amount.

In this way, in the present disclosure, the total watering amount offeed water to be supplied for a set period and the single wateringamount may be set. The water may be supplied as much as the singlewatering amount each time, and when the total watering amount isreached, water supply may be completed. Every single water supply may beperformed according to whether residual water is detected in the bed.

As described above, the plant cultivation apparatus according to theembodiment of the present disclosure may cultivate a plant in the room,and for this purpose, perform control suitable for various cultivationconditions to enable plant cultivation.

To this end, the plant cultivation apparatus according to the presentdisclosure may be configured such that the water tank 710 constitutingthe water supply module 700 is configured as the forward drawablemanner, and thus easily maintain the water tank 710 when being installedin a specific narrow space such as a built-in method.

In addition, the plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosureis operated to supply the feed water while the water supply module 700is operated in cooperation with the residual water detection sensor 440or 742 for each bed 300, so that only the proper amount of moisturesupplied to plants may be always supplied, thus preventing theoccurrence of residual water.

Further, the plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure maybe configured as the non-circulating structure in which the feed wateris normally stored in the separate water tank 710, which is blocked fromthe outside environment, and is supplied to the bed only when necessary.Thus, contamination of the feed water in the water tank 710 may beprevented.

In addition, the plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosuremay be configured such that the water tank 710 in which the feed wateris stored is easily drawable, thereby improving user convenience.

In addition, in the plant cultivation apparatus of the presentdisclosure, the water tank 710 and the water pump 720 may be alwaysseated at correct positions by the installation frame 740.

In addition, the plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosure,the water supply module 700 is provided between the bottom of thecultivation room 121 or 122 and the bed 300 in the cultivation room 121or 122, thus securing the maximum cultivation space for the cultivationroom 121 or 122.

In addition, since the plant cultivation apparatus of the presentdisclosure is configured to open and close the open top of the watertank 710 with the opening/closing cover 750, it is possible to preventcontamination of feed water in the water tank 710.

In addition, in the plant cultivation apparatus of the presentdisclosure, the opening/closing cover 750 is rotatably installed in thewater tank 710, making it easy to open and close the water tank 710.

In addition, the plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosuremay maximize the water storage amount of the water tank 710 because thewater supply connection tube 760 is provided in the opening/closingcover 750.

In addition, in the plant cultivation apparatus of the presentdisclosure, the opening/closing cover 750 may include the cover window752, thus allowing a user to accurately recognize a water level of thefeed water in the water tank 710 even with the user's naked eyes.

In addition, the plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosuremay prevent contamination of the feed water inside the water tankbecause the surrounding frame 753 is formed on the opening/closing cover750.

In addition, the plant cultivation apparatus of the present disclosuremay be accurately detect whether or not the water tank is mountedbecause the mounting detection unit is provided on the installationframe.

In addition, according to the plant cultivation apparatus of the presentdisclosure, the upper surface frame is provided at the upper end of theinstallation frame, and the upper surface frame is equipped with theresidual water detection sensor that detects whether the feed watersupplied to the bed remains, thus accurately detecting whether theresidual water is present in the bed.

The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above withreference to the accompanying drawings, but the present disclosure isnot limited to the above embodiments and may be manufactured in variousdifferent forms, and it is understood that those skilled in the art towhich the present invention pertains may implement the present inventionin other specific forms without changing the technical spirit oressential features thereof. Therefore, it should be understood that theembodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and notrestrictive.

1. A plant cultivation apparatus comprising: a cabinet having a cultivation room accommodating at least one bed and an opening/closing door for opening and closing an open front surface of the cultivation room, plants being cultivated in the cultivation room; a machine chamber frame configured to provide a machine chamber having a space independent of the cultivation room; A water supply module provided in the cultivation room to supply feed water to the bed; a residual water detection sensor configured to detect whether residual water of the feed water supplied to the bed is present; and a controller configured to control the water supply module based on a residual water detection signal received from the residual water detection sensor.
 2. The plant cultivation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bed has a depression which is formed to be recessed from an inner bottom of the bed to receive and store the feed water by the water supply module.
 3. The plant cultivation apparatus of claim 2, wherein the bed is formed with a sensing protrusion which is formed to protrude from a bottom surface of the depression, the sensing protrusion having a upper surface positioned higher than the bottom surface of the depression and lower than a bottom surface of the bed.
 4. The plant cultivation apparatus of claim 3, wherein the residual water detection sensor detects whether residual water is present on an upper surface of the sensing protrusion.
 5. The plant cultivation apparatus of claim 4, wherein the residual water detection sensor transmits a residual water detection signal corresponding detection of residual water when the residual water is present on the upper surface of the sensing protrusion and transmits a residual water detection signal corresponding non-detection of residual water when the residual water is not present on the upper surface of the sensing protrusion.
 6. The plant cultivation apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller controls the water supply module such that feed water is supplied to the depression when the residual water detection signal corresponding non-detection of residual water is received from the residual water detection sensor. 7-16. (canceled)
 17. A water supply control method for a plant cultivation apparatus, comprising: a detection step of detecting, by a residual water detection sensor, whether residual water of feed water supplied to a bed is present when the plant cultivation apparatus is operated; a determination step of determining whether the residual water is not detected in the bed using a residual water detection signal with respect to whether the residual water is present, which is detected by the residual water detection sensor; a water supply step of supplying feed water to the bed in which the residual water is not detected; a water supply termination step of terminating water supply after the feed water is supplied for a first set time; a count step of counting a number of times of water supply when the water supply is terminated; a residual water determination step of determining, by the residual water detection sensor whether detection of the residual water is continuously maintained for a second set time due to the water supply; and a water supply completion step of determining whether water supply to the bed is completed according to a result of the determination in the residual water determination step.
 18. The water supply control method of claim 17, wherein the water supply completion step includes completing the water supply to the bed when the detection of the residual water is continuously maintained for the second set time as a result of the determination.
 19. The water supply control method of claim 17, wherein the water supply completion step includes determining whether a number of times of water supply counted reaches a reference number when detection of residual water is continuously maintained for the second set time as a result of the determination and determining whether the water supply to the bed is completed as a result of the determination.
 20. The water supply control method of claim 19, further comprising: completing the water supply to the bed when the number of times of water supply has reached the reference number.
 21. The water supply control method of claim 19, further comprising: repeatedly performing the water supply and termination of the water supply until the number of times of water supply has reached the reference number or the detection of the residual water is maintained for the second set time when the counted number of times of water supply has not reached the reference number.
 22. The water supply control method of claim 17, wherein the bed is formed with a sensing protrusion which is formed to protrude from a bottom surface of the depression, the sensing protrusion having a upper surface positioned higher than the bottom surface of the depression and lower than a bottom surface of the bed, a depression being formed to be recessed from an inner bottom of the bed at a central portion to receive and store the feed water by the water supply module.
 23. The water supply control method of claim 22, wherein the detection step includes detecting, by the residual water detection sensor, whether the residual water is present on an upper surface of the sensing protrusion.
 24. The water supply control method of claim 23, wherein the water supply step includes pumping, by a water pump, the feed water stored in the water tank to supply the feed water to a depression of the bed when the residual water detection sensor does not detect presence of the residual water on the upper surface of the sensing protrusion.
 25. The water supply control method of claim 18, further comprising: detecting a water level of feed water in the water tank which stores the feed water, wherein the feed water is supplied in the water supply step when the detected water level of the feed water is higher than a set threshold water level.
 26. The water supply control method of claim 25, further comprising: displaying the detected water level of the feed water on a display.
 27. A water supply control method for a plant cultivation apparatus, comprising: a setting step of setting a total watering amount for a set time and a single watering amount; a water supply start step of starting, by a controller, water supply to a bed at a request to start water supply; a water supply stop step of stopping the water supply when water is supply in the set single watering amount; a detection step of detecting, by a residual water detection sensor, residual water in the bed; a determination step of waiting until the residual water is not detected when the residual water is detected and determining whether an amount of water supplied has reached the total watering amount when the residual water is not detected; and a repetition step of repeatedly performing the water supply start step to the determination step until the amount of water supplied has reached the total watering amount when the amount of water supplied has not reached the total watering amount.
 28. The water supply control method of claim 27, wherein an time interval for water supply increases as the water supply is repeatedly performed.
 29. The water supply control method of claim 28, wherein a time interval at which the residual water is detected by the residual water detection sensor increases as the water supply is repeatedly performed.
 30. The water supply control method of claim 27, wherein the water supply for the set time is completed when the amount of water supplied has reached the total watering amount. 